Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Impact Analyses of Patient Blood Management in a Cardiovascular Surgery Department at Ankara Bilkent City Hospital in Turkey.

INTRODUCTION: Anemia and transfusion of blood products are risk factors associated with poor patient outcomes across all elective surgeries. Patient blood management (PBM) is a patient-centered approach to optimize patient's endogenous red cell mass, to minimize blood loss in patients undergoing surgery, and to harness and optimize patient-specific physiological tolerance to anemia. This study aimed to assess (1) the impact of PBM on blood product usage in cardiovascular surgeries in a state hospital setting, (2) cost-effectiveness of PBM with a model based on transfusion of red blood cells (RBCs) in cardiovascular surgeries, and (3) the budget impact of PBM implementation based on transfusion of RBCs. METHODS: Cost-effectiveness and budget impact models, based on the numbers of avoided transfusions and avoided complications after implementation of the PBM program, were compared between pre- and post-PBM periods at the cardiovascular surgery department of Ankara Bilkent City Hospital between February 11, 2019 and July 24, 2022. The probabilities of transfusions and complications with and without PBM were taken from recent meta-analyses. Data from the Ankara Bilkent City Hospital transfusion center informed the pre- and post-PBM calculations. Costs were calculated from the Social Security Institution's perspective. RESULTS: There was a 21% decrease in the use of RBCs and a 23.7% decrease in use of all blood products after the implementation of PBM. The number of RBC packs per patient reduced by 0.88 packs (21%). The cost saving from reduction of RBC transfusions per patient was 518.68 Turkish lira (TRY) and for the hospital it was 1,635,948 TRY. Fewer complications and lower costs in favor of the post-PBM arm were demonstrated in the cost-effectiveness analysis. On the basis of the budget impact model, in 20 months, the hospital's cardiovascular surgery department saved 6,596,934 TRY (€342,302). CONCLUSION: This hospital-based study demonstrated that PBM is a budget-saving and cost-effective option in Turkey.

When undergoing elective surgery, patients who develop anemia or who need a transfusion of blood products may develop further complications. This study aimed to understand the impact of patient blood management on blood usage in cardiovascular surgeries. Patient blood management is a patient-centered approach that aims to optimize a patient's red cell mass, minimize blood loss in patients undergoing surgery, and maximize a patient's tolerance to anemia. In addition, this study assessed the cost-effectiveness of patient blood management using an economic model based on red blood cells in cardiovascular surgeries and assessed the impact of patient blood management on budget. The patient blood management program resulted in a 21% decrease in use of red blood cells and 23.7% decrease in use of all blood products. The cost savings from reduction of red blood cells transfusions per patient were 518.68 Turkish lira and cost savings for the hospital were 1,635,948 Turkish lira. Fewer complications and lower costs were demonstrated after implementation of patient blood management in the cost-effectiveness analysis. Between December 2020 and July 2022, the hospital's cardiovascular surgery department saved 6,596,934 Turkish lira (€342,302). Overall, this hospital-based study has shown that patient blood management is a budget-saving and cost-effective option in Turkey.

Management of diabetes and diabetes policies in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes and its complications are among the present and future challenges of the Turkish health care system. The objective of this paper is to discuss the current situation of diabetes and its management in Turkey with special emphasis on the changing policy environment. METHODS: A literature review in databases such as PUBMED was performed from 2000 to 2011. This synthesis was complemented by grey literature, personal communication and contact with national and provincial health authorities and experts in diabetes from Turkey. RESULTS: The literature review and expert consultations indicated a growing policy emphasis on diabetes. Both the public and private sectors, non-governmental organizations have initiated policy papers to shape the outlook of diabetes care in the future. This is in line with the current dynamics of the healthcare system. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes care will be high on the agenda in future. Evidence based policy-making is the key to implement the policies adopted so far and a supportive environment is needed.

Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Impact of Comprehensive Anemia Management, The First Pillar of Patient Blood Management, on the Turkish Healthcare System.

Purpose: Patient blood management (PBM) is a patient-centered, evidence-based, multidisciplinary approach aimed at optimizing hemoglobin concentration, ensuring the continuity of hemostasis and minimizing blood loss in patients undergoing surgery. The aims of this study were: (1) to explore the cost-effectiveness of comprehensive anemia management, the first pillar of PBM, in non-cardiac and cardiac surgery from the Turkish Social Security Institution's (SSI's) perspective; and (2) to explore the potential budget impact of PBM for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and hip and knee arthroplasty to the SSI. Methods: Cost-effectiveness and budget impact models were developed based on the avoided postoperative adverse events following implementation of the first pillar of PBM for non-cardiac and cardiac surgical patients. The probabilities of adverse events (sepsis with and without pneumonia, renal failure, myocardial infarction and stroke) were taken from a recent meta-analysis and the costs of treating these adverse events to the SSI were estimated through expert views and the use of SSI guidelines. Results: The PBM arm dominated the control arm for both non-cardiac and cardiac surgeries in terms of cost-effectiveness in the simulated cohort of patients and was associated with improved outcomes and lower costs (1768 and 1244 avoided adverse events, and incremental cost reductions for non-cardiac and cardiac surgery of 7504 Turkish lira [TRY] and 6102 TRY, respectively). The budget impact analysis showed that PBM is a potential cost-saving option for the SSI, with savings of up to 196,937,705 TRY (€12,841,697) for hip and knee arthroplasty and 24,642,504 TRY (€1,606,861) for CABG surgery. Conclusion: PBM is a cost-effective option with a potential of cost-saving for cardiac and non-cardiac surgery in Turkey.

Impact of Health Policy Changes on Trends in the Pharmaceutical Market in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: The implementation phase of the Turkish Health Transformation Program (HTP) began in 2003, with the aim of organizing, financing, and delivering health care services effectively, efficiently, and equally. The HTP impacted all clinical and economic outcomes of health, including pharmaceutical sales, by improving access to health services. OBJECTIVES: To understand the impact of five selected major policy changes that made an impact on supply, demand, or price in the pharmaceutical market between 1998 and 2012. METHODS: Monthly sales data (in units and value in US $) of a total of 180 pharmaceuticals covering the period between 1998 and 2012 were used for statistical analysis. Five major policies that could affect health expenditures and the demand and supply of pharmaceuticals were selected and led by the Ministry of Health. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered as the cutoff value for statistical significance. RESULTS: There was a growing trend in pharmaceuticals value and units in years, possibly as a result of the HTP implementation. Supply- and demand-related policies had a negative impact on the trends for value, whereas the pricing policy had a positive impact. CONCLUSIONS: It could be said that the HTP had an impact on units for improved access to health care services. Although this access increased the consumption of pharmaceuticals in units, the policies implemented were successful in controlling pharmaceutical expenditures.

The effect of pharmaceutical innovation on longevity, hospitalization and medical expenditure in Turkey, 1999-2010.

We investigate the impact of pharmaceutical innovation on longevity, hospitalization and medical expenditure in Turkey during the period 1999-2010 using longitudinal, disease-level data. From 1999 to 2008, mean age at death increased by 3.6 years, from 63.0 to 66.6 years. We estimate that in the absence of any pharmaceutical innovation, mean age at death would have increased by only 0.6 years. Hence, pharmaceutical innovation is estimated to have increased mean age at death in Turkey by 3.0 years during the period 1999-2008. We also examine the effect of pharmaceutical innovation on hospital utilization. We estimate that pharmaceutical innovation has reduced the number of hospital days by approximately 1% per year. We use our estimates of the effect of pharmaceutical innovation on age at death, hospital utilization and pharmaceutical expenditure to assess the incremental cost-effectiveness of pharmaceutical innovation, i.e., the cost per life-year gained from the introduction of new drugs. The baseline estimate of the cost per life-year gained from pharmaceutical innovation is $2776. Even the latter figure is a very small fraction of leading economists' estimates of the value of (or consumers' willingness to pay for) a one-year increase in life expectancy.

Turkey. Health system review.

Turkey has accomplished remarkable improvements in terms of health status in the last three decades, particularly after the implementation of the Health Transformation Program (HTP (Saglikta Donus, um Programi)). Average life expectancy reached 71.8 for men and 76.8 for women in 2010. The infant mortality rate (IMR) decreased to 10.1 per 1000 live births in 2010, down from 117.5 in 1980. Despite these achievements, there are still discrepancies in terms of infant mortality between rural and urban areas and different parts of the country, although these have been diminishing over the years. The higher infant mortality rates in rural areas can be attributed to low socioeconomic conditions, low female education levels and the prevalence of infectious diseases. The main causes of death are diseases of the circulatory system followed by malignant neoplasms. Turkeys health care system has been undergoing a far-reaching reform process (HTP) since 2003 and radical changes have occurred both in the provision and the financing of health care services. Health services are now financed through a social security scheme covering the majority of the population, the General Health Insurance Scheme (GHIS (Genel Saglik Sigortasi)), and services are provided both by public and private sector facilities. The Social Security Institution (SSI (Sosyal Guvenlik Kurumu)), financed through payments by employers and employees and government contributions in cases of budget deficit, has become a monopsonic (single buyer) power on the purchasing side of health care services. On the provision side, the Ministry of Health (Saglik Bakenligi) is the main actor and provides primary, secondary and tertiary care through its facilities across the country. Universities are also major providers of tertiary care. The private sector has increased its range over recent years, particularly after arrangements paved the way for private sector provision of services to the SSI. The most important reforms since 2003 have been improvements in citizens health status, the introduction of the GHIS, the instigation of a purchaser provider split in the health care system, the introduction of a family practitioner scheme nationwide, the introduction of a performance-based payment system in Ministry of Health hospitals, and transferring the ownership of the majority of public hospitals to the Ministry of Health. Future challenges for the Turkish health care system include, reorganizing and enforcing a referral system from primary to higher levels of care, improving the supply of health care staff, introducing and extending public hospital governance structures that aim to grant autonomous status to public hospitals, and further improving patient rights.

Colorectal cancer in Turkey: current situation and challenges for the future.

Cancer is foremost among one of the major public health problems in Turkey. Projections for the year 2030 estimate that cancer will take the highest death toll for both males and females. In line with the dynamic health care reform process commencing in 2003, the national cancer policy of Turkey has also changed radically. Cancer became more visible as a public health problem and improvements have been made in early diagnosis and treatment of the disease. In addition, major steps have been taken to improve the cancer registry system in order to improve cancer statistics. Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence is approximately 7 per 100,000, with approximately 5,000 new cases and 3,200 deaths annually. Although cancer treatment expenditures are widely covered in Turkey, there are still problems related to the general accessibility of the health care system. This paper addresses the case of cancer in Turkey with special focus on CRC. Specifically, detailed information is provided about the health care and cancer policies, improvements since 2003 and challenges for the future.

Predictors of informal health payments: the example from Turkey.

Little is known about the factors that can affect informal health payments in Turkey, which is pertinent given that Turkey has been undergoing and considering a series of reforms in the health sector. This paper aims to examine the predictors of informal payments in Turkey. The study surveyed a random sample of 3,727 people in a medium-sized city, of whom 706 received medical care for illness and/or non-illness related reasons, using a Turkey-specific version of a model questionnaire focused exclusively on informal out-of-pocket payments. Using multivariable logistic model, household health expenditure, health insurance, service type and provider ownership were found to be statistically significant predictors of informal payment. The findings suggest the supply side factors as the main drivers of informal payments and thus a need for radical changes in the supply side as well as actions to rebuild lost confidence in the health care system of Turkey.

Informal payments in the health sector: a case study from Turkey.

The practice of making informal payments in the health sector is common in a number of countries. It has become an important policy issue around the world. These payments can jeopardize governments' attempts to improve equity and access to care and policies targeted to the poor. It is widely believed that a considerable amount of out-of-pocket payment in the health sector in Turkey is informal. To examine this issue, we used a questionnaire adopted from a wider international study. We concluded that informal payments in Turkey are significant and have important implications for health care reform.

Factors affecting use of resources for asthma patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims at exploring the variance in resources used for management and treatment of asthma disease and analyzing the impact of patient and physician characteristics on total test expenditures and the number of drugs prescribed as resource utilization variables. STUDY SETTING: The study was undertaken in Hacettepe University Chest Diseases Polyclinic and Allergy Unit. 387 asthma patients visiting the unit between August 2000 and March 2001, were included in the study. RESULTS: The regression analysis showed that patient characteristics did not have a statistically meaningful impact on total test expenditures (p > 0.05). The laboratory test expenditures for patients who referred to academicians (professors and associate professors) were higher compared to patients who referred to their counterparts (p < 0.05). Similarly, the laboratory test expenditures for patients referred to two physicians in the allergy unit were higher and statistically meaningful (p < 0.05) than patients who referred to 8 physicians in the chest diseases polyclinic. When factors affecting the number of drugs prescribed is analyzed it was found that duration of treatment, severity of disease, quality of life, frequency of referral to a physician in the last 6 months were meaningful (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The variances in total test expenditures for different academic careers and specialties indicate the need to standardize the treatment process for asthma and to reconsider medical education.

Turkey: health system review

The Health Systems in Transition (HiT) country profiles provide an analytical description of each health system and of policy initiatives in progress or under development. They aim to provide relevant comparative information to support policy-makers and analysts in the development of health systems and reforms in the countries of the WHO European Region and beyond. The HiT profiles are building blocks that can be used: to learn in detail about different approaches to the financing, organization and delivery of health services; to describe accurately the process, content and implementation of health reform programmes; to highlight common challenges and areas that require more in-depth analysis; and to provide a tool for the dissemination of information on health systems and the exchange of experiences of reform strategies between policy-makers and analysts in countries of the WHO European Region. This series is an ongoing initiative and material is updated at regular intervals.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia: cost and effectiveness of three alternative surgical treatment methods used in a Turkish hospital.

The purpose of this study was to compare three alternative surgical therapies for Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in terms of their cost and effectiveness in a general hospital setting in Turkey. BPH is an important potential burden on health care resources in developing countries like Turkey, not only because of the increasing incidence of the disease, but also because of the differences in cost and effectiveness that exist among the various available treatment technologies. In this study, three alternative surgical treatments for BPH, namely open prostatectomy, transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), and laser prostatectomy were compared in terms of their cost and effectiveness. Effectiveness was measured through the use of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) before the operation and at 3 months after. Laser prostatectomy was found to be the most costly and least effective way of treating BPH. This conclusion was valid both in terms of cost per prostate symptom score and cost per improvement of quality of life index. This study shows how a rough estimate can be made of the potential burdens that alternative treatment methods would impose on a country's health budget.